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OBJECTIVE--To investigate the associations of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components between adolescents and their parents in Korea.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--We analyzed data for 4,657 subjects (1,404 fathers, 1,404 mothers, [...]

We evaluated and classified forty five onion cultivars according to bulb initiation, bulb and scale characteristics, minerals and organic compounds contents, and storage quality in South Korea during 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 growing seasons. Field experiment was conducted in randomized block design with three replications. Bulb initiation ranged from 153 days after transplanting (DAT, April 2) to 177 DAT (April 26). Fresh bulb weight (FBW) and bulb index (BI) were 285.5?±?18.5 g/individual, 0.93?±?0.05, respectively. Number of scales (NS), number of center (NC), and scale thickness (ST) were 7.6?±?0.2, 2.3?±?0.2, and 5.5?±?0.2 mm/scale, respectively. Chroma and Lightness of bulb skin were 27.1?±?1.9, 61.2?±?2.3, respectively. Storage loss (SL) on December 12 was 19.4?±?5.9%. Nitrogen (N), Carbon (C) and sulfur (S) contents were 1.36?±?0.14, 37.9?±?3.2 and 0.40?±?0.06 mg kg-1on a fresh weight basis. Total soluble solids (TSS) and total phenolics content (TPC) were 8.6?±?0.6 °Bx, 164.8?±?15.6 mg GE kg-1on a fresh weight basis. Days from transplanting to bulb initiation was significantly positively correlated with bulb height, NC, dry matter, N, C, S, TSS, TPC, total flavonoids content (TFC) etc., while it was negatively correlated with rot loss and SL. Dry matter content was significantly positively correlated with N, C, S, TSS, TPC, TFC etc., while it was negatively correlated with SL. Storage loss was negatively correlated with N, S, Potassium and TSS. Dendrogram of agglomerative hierarchical clustering for the forty five cultivars based on bulb initiation, bulb and scale characteristics, and bulb minerals and organic compounds contents classified five cultivar groups. Cluster 1 featured the earliest bulb initiation and the greatest SL. Cluster 2 featured the fewest NS and NR, and the thickest ST. Cluster 3 featured the greatest FBW, and the most NS and NC. Cluster 4 featured the greatest BI and the thinnest ST. Cluster 5 featured the lowest SL, and the highest minerals and antioxidant compounds contents. This information should be helpful for onion growers to decide onion cultivar and for onion breeders to promote new cultivars depending on their purpose.

Rupture of the extracranial carotid artery is a rare, but potentially disastrous event. We aimed to review the clinical presentations and radiologic findings of this entity and to evaluate the efficacy of endovascular treatment with covered stent graft.

Context:Pediatric obesity has been related to hyperandrogenism and premature adrenarche in previous studies. However, little is known regarding the association between body fat mass and steroidogenic enzyme activities in children.Objective:To examine whether body fat mass is associated with serum steroid profiles in girls.Design, Participants, and Setting:We enrolled 242 girls (125 prepubertal, 117 pubertal; age, 7–13 years). Early morning blood samples were drawn at a university hospital to measure serum steroid profiles using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and steroidogenic enzyme activities were assessed from the ratios of steroid metabolites.Main Outcome Measures:We evaluated serum steroid profiles and estimated steroidogenic enzyme activities and their association with anthropometric indices and body composition.Results:Prepubertal obese girls demonstrated significantly higher progestin, androgens (dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA], androstenedione [A-dione], T, androsterone), and ratio of steroid metabolites reflecting 17,20-lyase activity [(DHEA + A-dione)/17-hydroxypregnenolone] compared with prepubertal controls. Pubertal obese girls demonstrated significantly higher serum T and androsterone than pubertal controls; however, serum steroid metabolite ratios reflecting steroidogenic enzyme activities did not significantly differ among obese and non-obese girls. Partial correlation analysis revealed that body fat mass was positively correlated with pregnenolone, DHEA, A-dione, T, androsterone, and ratio of (DHEA + A-dione)/17-hydroxypregnenolone in prepubertal girls only. Prepubertal girls with increased body fat mass had significantly higher serum DHEA and ratio of (DHEA + A-dione)/17-hydroxypregnenolone than controls.Conclusions:Increased androgen production in prepubertal obese girls could be at least partly due to increased body fat mass and 17,20-lyase activity.

In this study, we examined the quality characteristics of soy yogurts produced using two proteases(Flavourzyme®and Neutrase®) and the mixed microbial consortia of Lactobacillus bulgaricusand Streptococcus thermophilus(two-mixed) and Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, and S. thermophilus(three-mixed). The viscosity was the highest in the untreated yogurt. Among the proteolyzed samples, those treated with Flavourzyme®for 20 min showed the highest viscosity, whereas the samples treated with Neutrase®for 30 min and cultured with three-mixed microbial consortia showed the lowest viscosity. The numbers of viable bacteria in the Flavourzyme®-treated samples were slightly greater than those in the Neutrase®-treated samples. The number of viable bacteria increased as hydrolysis time increased. The organic acid content was higher in the three-mixed group than in the two-mixed group, and it was higher in the Flavourzyme®-treated samples than in the Neutrase®-treated samples. Among the Flavourzyme®-treated samples, the three-mixed group showed higher total free amino acid content than the two-mixed group. In contrast, among the Neutrase®-treated samples, those cultured with both mixed microbial consortia produced the similar amounts of free amino acids. The above results showed that proteolytic treatment promoted the growth of lactic acid-producing bacteria. Soy yogurts produced using Flavourzyme®and three-mixed microbial consortia were thought to be more desirable because of more organic acids and free amino acids than those produced using Neutrase®and two-mixed microbial consortia.

Thrombocytopenia is caused by insufficient production and excessive destruction of platelets. Recent improvement of automated blood cell analyzers has allowed measurement of several platelet parameters, providing better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of thrombocytopenia. We investigated the significance of platelet parameters in thrombocytopenic patients. Thrombocytopenic patients (platelet <100×103l) who were newly diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and primary immune thrombocytopenia were enrolled, and platelet, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, platelet crit, mean platelet component, mean platelet mass, and large platelet count were measured, and the percentages of large platelets were calculated. The parameters were also measured in the reference population. The mean values of each parameter were as follows: platelet, 259×103l; mean platelet volume, 7.9 fl; platelet distribution width, 51.3; platelet crit, 0.20; mean platelet component, 26.0gdl; mean platelet mass, 1.9 pg; large platelet, 4.7×103l; large platelet percentage, 1.7. In comparison with acute myeloid leukemia patients, patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia showed significantly higher mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, mean platelet component, mean platelet mass, large platelet, and large platelet (P<0.05). Because of increased destruction of platelets, primary immune thrombocytopenia patients have increased mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, mean platelet component, mean platelet mass, large platelet, and large platelet percentage compared with acute myeloid leukemia patients who have ineffective platelet production. Parameters measured by automated analyzer provide better understanding of thrombopoiesis in the bone marrow and the status of the peripheral blood in the clinical field.

In this study, we investigated the atmospheric heavy metal concentrations in the particulate matter inside the subway stations of Seoul. In particular, we examined the correlation between the heavy metals and studied the effect of the heavy metals on cell proliferation. In six selected subway stations in Seoul, particulate matter was captured at the platforms and 11 types of heavy metals were analyzed. The results showed that the mean concentration of iron was the highest out of the heavy metals in particulate matter, followed by copper, potassium, calcium, zinc, nickel, sodium, manganese, magnesium, chromium and cadmium in that order. The correlation analysis showed that the correlations between the heavy metals was highest in the following order: (Cu vs Zn), (Ca vs Na), (Ca vs Mn), (Ni vs Cr), (Na vs Mn), (Cr vs Cd), (Zn vs Cd), (Cu vs Cd), (Ni vs Cd), (Cu vs Ni), (K vs Zn), (Cu vs K), (Cu vs Cr), (K vs Cd), (Zn vs Cr), (K vs Ni), (Zn vs Ni), (K vs Cr), and (Fe vs Cu). The correlation coefficient between zinc and copper was 0.937, indicating the highest correlation. Copper, zinc, nickel, chromium and cadmium, which are generated from artificial sources in general, showed correlations with many of the other metals and the correlation coefficients were also relatively high. The effect of the heavy metals on cell proliferation was also investigated in this study. Cultured cell was exposed to 10 mg/l or 100 mg/l of iron, copper, calcium, zinc, nickel, manganese, magnesium, chromium and cadmium for 24 hours. The cell proliferation in all the heavy metal-treated groups was not inhibited at 10 mg/l of the heavy metal concentration. The only exception to this was with the cadmium-treated group which showed a strong cell proliferation inhibition. This study provides the fundamental data for the understanding of simultaneous heavy metal exposure tendency at the time of particulate matter exposure in subway stations and the identification of heavy metal sources. Moreover, this study can be used as the fundamental data for the cell toxicity study of the subway-oriented heavy metal-containing particulate matter.

Lipid rafts/caveolae are membrane platforms for signaling molecules that regulate various cellular functions, including cell survival. To better understand the role of rafts in tumor progression and therapeutics, we investigated the effect of raft disruption on cell viability and compared raft levels in human cancer cell lines versus their normal counterparts. Here, we report that cholesterol depletion using methyl-β cyclodextrin caused anoikis-like apoptosis, which in A431 cells involved decreased raft levels, Bcl-xL down-regulation, caspase-3 activation, and Akt inactivation regardless of epidermal growth factor receptor activation. Cholesterol repletion replenished rafts on the cell surface and restored Akt activation and cell viability. Moreover, the breast cancer and the prostate cancer cell lines contained more lipid rafts and were more sensitive to cholesterol depletion-induced cell death than their normal counterparts. These results indicate that cancer cells contain increased levels of rafts and suggest a potential use of raft-modulating agents as anti-cancer drugs.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained two mistakes.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.